The Contract
by avatarquake
Summary: Daisy Johnson gets a contract to assassinate Phil Coulson. AU


The Contract

 **Summary:** Daisy Johnson gets a contract to assassinate Phil Coulson. **  
Notes:** Prompt from an RP Generator on Tumblr.

* * *

"I hear you're the one I should talk to about dealing with a problem." the man said, sitting across from the figure in the far back of the bar.

"Hmm. And what problem is that you have and want me to take care of?"

"There's this...nosey detective that keeps bothering me."

"And why do you need my skills. I am sure you could report him to the police and be done with it. I don't appreciate my time being wasted."

"I did, but he keeps pushing, even while suspended. And going through all the legal paths – it would take way too long than, let's say an accident."

The figure sighed.

"You know my paycheck."

"After the job is finished."

"You pay upfront, or I ain't taking care of your problem. Yo do realise I am getting my hands dirty for you. All I need is a show of good faith for the trouble you're putting me through. By paying me first."

"I can give you half now and half after the detective is taken care of."

The figured huffed.

"I can accept that I suppose." they reached a hand out for their reward.

The man passed an envelope.

"The information -"

"I don't need it. I know very well who are you working for, who are you and who is the problem. Which is why you don't have all the money. No trust from your employer to my ability completing a job. It is insulting." the figure said.

"How did you-" the man spluterred.

"Don't insult me further." the voice said with restrained contempt. "Go. I expect the rest of the money be delivered here after the job is done."

The man stood up and almost ran out.

The figure let a long suffering sigh.

"Why do they always send in a messager. Like I can't find out who they are?"

"I've told you once before, girl, this is a bad job you have. You could be a P.I." the barman said, coming over.

"You know I can't. I was trained to do this, it's ingrained."

"I know, girl. But I'll never stop trying to get you into another job."

"How come you never asked me to work here, Trip?"

Trip laughed.

"I ain't gonna let you waste away here, Daisy."

"And you could have been an excellent police officer. You got the history for it."

"Hard to get back to that when the man who trained you comes looking for an assassin."

Daisy whistled.

"Corrupt cop? Found out the hard way?"

"Took a bullet for trying to look deeper. Mike opened the bar up, gave me the job three years ago. I never told him about Garrett and I avoid being visible whenever he drops in."

"Which isn't too often." Daisy pointed out.

"He hangs out in greener pastures, you see." Trip snorted.

"So that's your history."

"What, you didn't look me up yet? Should I feel offended?" Trip grinned.

Daisy laughed.

"You and Will are good friends. I don't look up friends."

"Aw, come on, girl. You'll make me blush."

Daisy grinned and then got up.

"Time to get to work, then. I'll see you after this mess ends." Daisy said, getting up.

"Be careful, Daisy." Trip said.

"I will be." she promised.

Daisy Johnson was known as a mercenary doing unsavory jobs. Namely assassinations. Key word; 'known'. More often than not, the ones asking for the job ended up in prison for a really long time, since they were the ones in the wrong side of the law. Daisy takes the job, does an extensive research on the potential victim and her employer of the month, and then proceeds accordingly. The employer ends up with a fuckload of evidence that puts them in jail for the rest of their lives, the police gets an anonymus tip, the victim plays dead for a while – new names, adresses, what-have-you – and Daisy gets paid.

When Trip said it's a dangerous job, he meant the double crossing of really dangerous people.

So far, none has noticed exactly what is going on – no one made the connection and since they think she did the job, no one looked into it.

It helps that she doesn't have a fixed home address.

Her old beat-up van, a 1983 GMC Chevrolet painted black from its original bluish purple, that she had once upon a time stolen from a scrapyard had enough space for her to sleep and cook quick meals, kept her dry from the rain and as warm as it could in the cold. It was a great way to track both parties in a job down and make the arrangements.

The bar Trip worked at, _SkyeQuake_ , was owned by an old 'victim' of hers. That was the first thing Trip learnt when he got the job. Because Daisy had paid more than half to help Mike open the place and he had made her promise to drop by as often as she could.

Now huddled under the heavy blanket, her laptop in her lap, she was doing what she did best; hacking.

"Now, let's see...Which hornet nest did you upset Detective Coulson?" she mumbled.

The story was a well-known one.

Detective Phil Coulson had been suspended from duty, indefinitelly, because he had been harassing the soon-to-be Senator Ward and his younger brother.

No one knew it was on a request by the youngest son, who had managed to get away and hide from the family. Thomas had turned out to be a quiet, decent guy.

If you looked deep enough, you'd've find the family deep in one shit or another. Pretty much everything short of murder.

Daisy was surprised they had sent their inside man, one officer John Garrett, to her to take down Detective Coulson.

What he stumbled on and poked at, though, is a combination of police corruption, money changing hands in the precincts – Ward's money, of course – and a few good old blackmails of good cops.

"So. You just did your job, but you poked the bear too hard, Phil." she mumbled. "Let me see how I can get you out of that tight spot you walked yourself in."

Phil Coulson, born in Wisconsin, raised in Boston, was a man with a long history of working as a police officer. Practically all his life.

He lived in an avarage appartment that had more case files than furniture.

Daisy did notice that the kitchen was well-stocked, though.

His schedule was pretty easy to follow; he spent a lot of time tracking Garrett, and by extension, the Wards. In fact, he had done such a good job, she didn't need to track them herself. He practically had no life beyond that.

So, three days later, she went to poke around at the detective's home.

 _DJ~PC~DJ~PC_

He knew the moment he entered that he wasn't alone.

"Ease off the tension, detective." a female voice said from the shadows of his sitting room. "You've been busy, poking where no one should poke..."

"So what? You're here to kill me? Is that it? I wouldn't put it past them." he replied, his hand slowly going for his gun. "I'm not about to go down without a fight."

The woman hummed.

"I would have hoped not." she said.

He had been warned time and again that he would end up dead if he kept going after the Wards. But he had promised Thomas he would stop his brothers.

The woman walks out from the shadows and Phil is surprised by how young she is.

And then, suddenly, she has him disarmed and pinned against the wall.

"Shit." he curses.

"I was paid to kill you." she tells him seriously. "But I won't. Not really, anyway. There's a system I follow, you know. The easiest way to track down the bad seeds is to be one. They'll come asking for your services."

"What do you want?" he gritted his teeth.

"What have you found out about the Wards?" she asked. "And Garrett."

"That would be easier if I showed you." he said. "But why?"

"I have a system, I told you." she let go and Phil led them back to the sitting room, opening a file.

"And that system's consists of breaking and entering to people's houses to tell them you were hired to kill them?"

The woman hummed.

"Pretty much. It never gets boring, the look of terror in their eyes turning into total confusion." she said sarcastically. "No. I don't, Detective. I figured you would take it better, the truth."

Phil nods once and sits beside the still unnamed young woman. He studies her from the corner of his eye, trying to understand her.

"You can ask. I don't promise to answer, though." she said, ruffling through his notes.

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Skye."

"But that isn't your name."

"I don't give my name to everyone who asks, detective."

"But you gave it to someone." he probed.

"Possibly." she shrugged. "If we survive this, I might tell you."

Phil hummed beside her.

"How can I help?" he asked after a few moments.

Skye looked up at him, surprised. Phil frowned.

"Better not. We're supposed to be working on your 'death', too. I can't have a well-meaning cop try to play sidekick, while I am trying to get them in prison."

"But there's something I can do to help you. This is my case, too. I made a promise. I intent to see it through." he said seriously.

"A promise, huh?" she smiled softly, for the first time since he saw her, and that threw him. "To Thomas?" she asked.

"How did you - ?" he started.

"I have my ways." she shrugged.

Phil sighed and then got up. He went to the kitchen and started going through his cupboards.

"How does spaghetti sound?" he called out at her. "Skye?" he poked his head out of the kitchen when she didn't reply.

"Do you cook for every stranger that breaks into your house?" she asked, bemused.

"Only the beautiful ones." he grinned. "And let me tell you, I don't get many of those."

"Beautiful strangers or generally strangers?" Skye asked, moving in to the kitchen.

"Both." he smirked at her over his shoulder.

Why he suddenly felt he could flirt with her so easily, when he was so guarded towards her moments ago, he couldn't tell. Maybe it was the fact she knew him – stalked him, more likely, but he found he didn't mind – and what she was trying to do and instead of killing him, like she was paid to do, she was trying to bring her employers to justice.

"The secret is to frame them for something else." she says, looking through his notes. "So, they don't go looking for both of us afterwards."

"That's clever."

"But they should have been suspected for it, so they don't win the trial."

"Why are you telling me now?"

"You're cooking for me. I suppose, I could tell you my system." she shrugged.

Phil smiled, a little charmed by her.

"Thank you for trusting me." he said softly.

Skye hummed.

 _DJ~PC~DJ~PC_

Daisy had been poring over Phil's notes for hours now. He had fallen asleep an hour ago, leaning back on the couch they had been sharing. Daisy couldn't sleep. She was sure she had found something.

Christian could go in for both covering Grant's raping of a young woman and paying to get that seat at the senate. Grant was going in for that rape – Daisy had to persuade Kara to testify – and arson and they both were suspect for tax evasion.

John Garrett was harder to pin down. The man could cover his tracks well.

But Daisy was the best in what she did. He was in the Wards' payroll, and that was grounds enough to suspend and/or fire him. But a closer look told her he had a hand in covering up the rape.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed triumphant.

Phil shot up, surprised from his sleep.

"Skye? What happened?" he asked, sleepily, once he made sure they weren't under attack.

"I got them. Build their cases. I will plant the evidence accordingly, once I finish you off."

"So, how do you do it?" he asked.

"I can make you look like you've been shot through the heart and not even the best detectives and criminologists couldn't tell."

"And if they do?" he asked with a smirk.

"I can always tip someone I can trust on the inside to pass it like real." she shrugged.

"Of course." Phil smiled, almost proudly.

Daisy found him strange. Most of the 'victims' just went along with the plan and then, when they were finally free, thanked her and moved on.

Only Mike had wanted to keep in touch.

"You're weird." she told him.

"Did you always do this? Fake assasinations?"

Daisy ddin't answer.

"Skye?"

"No. Not always. It took me some time to understand the difference." she said, not looking at him.

"Skye." he said, softly, letting his hand rest on her shoulder for a moment.

"Well." she stood up, putting distance between them. "Now comes the difficult part."

"Which is?"

"Kill you, make it look like an accident and that should make it to the media. So they can read it."

"I am not going to like the plan, am I?"

Daisy drew a breath.

"How much do you like your car?" she asked.

 _DJ~PC~DJ~PC_

It took them a little longer than a month to set everything up.

Once the 'accident' happened and Garrett gave her the rest of her payment, the police got an anonymous tip and within the week, the Wards and Garrett were on trial for Kara's rape – Daisy's old friend Matt had an amazing winning record and he took Kara's case – with an economical scandal breaking around them.

Daisy was hearing it all unfurl while she was repairing Lola – an apollogy of sorts for inconviniencing Phil.

She wanted it to be a surprise – he was holed up in a small house out of town, that she maintained and she had left her van to his care, seeing as Lola was more or less totalled.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Ruben asked.

Ruben and his older brother Alfie had a garage that she had visited before for help with her van. She had asked Alfie and he had showed her the way around a car.

She looked up from her work.

"Your brother showed me a few things. I knew a few tricks myself. I think I can say I know what I'm doing, kid."

Ruben chuckled.

"This is custom, Daisy. The tricks Alfie showed you won't be much of a help."

Daisy groaned.

"Please tell me you know more."

"Sure. My bike is custom-made. I can help you with this car." he smiled. "By the way, whose car is this?"

"A new friend." she said quietly, as she watched him work.

"Hmm. That's good. Alfie says byond us two, Elena and the guys at _SkyeQuake_ , you're on your own. It'll be good to have another person in the club."

"Club?"

"The ' _we love and worry for Daisy_ ' club." he grinned.

Daisy shook her head at that.

"So, another one good deed completed?"

"Yeah." she said quietly. "Where's your brother by the way?"

"Date with Elena." Ruben said. "Finally, if you ask me."

"Oh good for them." Daisy grinned.

"So...this...friend of yours, do they know you're fixing their car?"

"Nope. It was kinda my fault it was totalled, so I figured I'd apollogise by fixing her."

"And you've known them for how long again?" Ruben smirked up at her.

"Uh...a couple of months? I think." Daisy answered.

"When are you moving in with them?" he teased her.

"Ruben." she groaned.

The young man chuckled.

It takes the three of them a couple of days to fix Lola up. It takes the court a week to find the Wards and Garrett guilty, even though Christian Ward gets the lighter sentence of the three.

(Matt called her to tell her the news.)

In the end, the Wards moved out of the city, once they paid the bail and Garrett got life.

That all took a month and Daisy made sure to visit Phil in her house, keep him company and keep the place stocked up.

"How are you coming out here when you left me your van?" he asked her once.

"Scooter." she grinned.

"And where do you stay in the city?"

"At a friend's." she smiled.

 _DJ~PC~DJ~PC_

"You should be getting ready to get back to your life, by the way. They're in prison and left the city. They won't bother you again." she told him that day.

"I want you to meet Thomas Ward. You, after all, fulfilled my promise to him." Phil said, walking over to her.

Daisy looked away.

"I am not used to that kind of thing, either." she said softly.

"Skye?"

"You're really weird." she shook her head.

"You said that before. Why?"

"Because I told you what I do, first thing, and you still want to talk to me, to meet other people."

"You are a good person, Skye. You're out there, doing what you can to help those in need, while putting yourself in danger." he said, earnestly. "And I can't imagine people not liking you."

She smiled, a litle amused and a little charmed, by his words.

"For what is worth, my mechanics, want to meet you."

"Mechanics?"

Daisy threw him Lola's key and Phil caught it. He looked at the key then at Daisy and back to the key.

"Is that...?"

"Well, I owed you an apollogy, about her. So, I thought..."

"You fixed Lola." he said, in what sounded like awe.

"Yeah, I...I did. With some help. She's custom?"

"Ye-yes. I put her engine together, in a way. I work a lot on her." he admited.

"Mack and Ruben will love you, just for that." she said.

"Where is she?" he asked, looking at the key again.

Daisy smiled.

"Outside. I rode her here. So you can drive back home." she said.

Seconds later, she was pulled into a tight embrace. She froze for a moment before she tentatively, wraped her arms around him.

"Thank you." Phil whispered. "For everything."

Daisy squeezed him lightly in response.

"Come on. You must be dying to get back to your case files." she said, pulling away.

Phil grinned.

"Pun not intended?" he teased her.

Daisy grinned. She turned to lead the way out of the house.

Phil followed her.

The moment they were out of the door, Lola's red paint caught his eye, parked a little ways away from the small house – so he wouldn't hear the engine – all new and shiny.

Daisy watched him go to his car and smiled as he ran a finger along the driver's side.

"Good as new?" she asked.

"Better." he said. "Want to drive back with me?" he asked.

"Sure. Grab your stuff so I can lock up and we can go."

Phil dashed back inside the house and grabbed his duffel bag. He then put it in the trunk and waited for Daisy to lock the house.

She made to get into her van when Phil honked.

"You left your scooter at your friend's, right? I was offering to drive you back."

Daisy shook her head and went to Phil and Lola.

"Are you sure you want to give me a lift?"

"Skye, I am sure. You already drove her. Only two people have; me and you. I don't let others drive her around."

"Oh, Phil. I'm sorry, I -"

"Hey, I'd've let you." he said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Lola likes you." he grinned.

"Yeah? Well, I like Lola, too." Daisy smirked, getting in.

They drive back in companionable silence, broken by idle talk here and there.

Daisy told him more about her friends, about how she met Mike and the Mackenzie brothers, how Trip came in their lives and how her and Ruben got Mack – Alfie – and Elena to admit they liked each other and go out on a date.

Phil told her about his job, his close friends, how Andrew has told him that his partner, May, often makes fun of him while the couple are alone, how Bobbi and her ex, a Brit bounty hunter of questionable sanity, are the ones that make the day or the case bearable with their drama.

"So, where do I drop you off?"

"At the bar." Daisy said. "Phil?"

"Yes?"

"My name is Daisy. I use Skye to not be connected to the accidents." she admitted.

"OK." he said softly.

"Like that? You're ok with this?"

"I figured 'Skye' was more like a codename, considering what you were doing when we met."

Daisy let out a breath and sagged against the back of the seat.

"It was a name I had chosen. Once upon a time, I was Skye. Then came the job and I was codenamed 'Quake'. If you want a problem solved, you went to Quake. Then I found out. Then Quake took the job, but Skye made sure who got punished and who a second chance. And then, when all was over, Daisy could come out. It's such a small and fragile name, Daisy. Not scary like Quake, or brave like Skye."

"But it is a brave name, Daisy. Because you are brave. And it's a beautiful name, too. It suits you."

"Easy there, Charm School." she smiled at him.

Phil chuckled.

They stopped at the bar and as Daisy got out she turned to look at him.

"Why don't you come inside? Let me buy you a drink?" she asked.

"I'd like that."

He followed her inside and she led them to the bar.

"Hey, girl!" Trip greeted her. "We've been missing you."

"Sorry, Trip. Job, you know."

"Which I still think you should change." the man smiled. "Oh and you must the Corvette Guy."

"Corvette Guy?" Phil asked, confused.

"The Mackenzies." Trip said, as explanation. "Daisy never told them the name of her guy, hence the nickname."

"Your guy?" he looked at Daisy.

"Ruben...!" she groaned.

"Yeah, he also said something about you being fast with this one. Whatever he meant." Trip smirked, knowing full well what the younger Mack meant.

Phil apparently understood, too, and spluttered beside her.

"Daisy. It's good to see you again. How have you been?"

"Mike, hey. I'm doing ok. You? Ace?" she smiled.

"He's been asking about you. You missed his football match the other day."

"Oh, shoot! I knew I hadn't done something important." she facepalmed.

"Well, you can spent the weekend with us, unless you got other plans." Mike said, looking at Phil. "That him?" he asked.

"Do all your friends think we are together?" Phil wondered.

"When she rolled up at Mack's with your car to be fixed, we were all a little to a lot surprised. She never drives anything else but her van or scooter. And it was even more surprising that she did it for you, after two months of acquaintance. It took me half a year to trust she wasn't going to ask for a favor in exchange for the bar." Mike said.

Phil raised an eyebrow at Daisy.

"I paid for the deeds to the place and helped in decorating it." she shrugged. "Are Ruben, Mack and Elena going to come in tonight?"

"Oh, so you want us all to meet your guy?" Trip grinned.

"For the love of God, Trip, we're not together."

"And yet, here you are buying him a drink." Trip said, with smile.

Daisy froze.

"Oh, God." she mumbled.

Phil, who had been quiet throughout, let his arm rest on her shoulder for a moment.

"I'm out of practise, too, if it's any consolation." he murmured.

Daisy snickered at that.

"At least I'm not the only loser between the two of us." she said.

Neither noticed Trip and Mike shaking their heads at the couple.

 _DJ~PC~DJ~PC_

In the days that follow, and while there are no jobs for Quake coming in, Daisy and Phil spend their time together.

Phil got to meet the Mackenzie brothers and Daisy got to meet the Garner-Mays, Bobbi and her ex, Lance Hunter.

"That's your name?" Daisy asked, bemused. "Your name is Hunter?"

"It's perfect, isn't it?" he grinned.

"You are a bounty hunter that is named Hunter. That is either a crazy coincidence, or you're just crazy." she said.

"Have you been talking with Bob? She would definatelly make everyone question my sanity. No, it's neither. I became a bounty hunter for that reason exactly." Hunter said, rather proudly.

Daisy looked at Phil and he shrugged, like he had long given up trying to find reason in what the man did and/or said.

"So, you two. How does that work out?"

"What?"

"He's a cop, you're an assassin, one would think you shouldn't be near each other."

"Why everyone thinks we're a couple?" Daisy wondered.

"You act like fools in love." Hunter said.

"And you'd say you know that from personal experience?" Daisy smirked.

Phil chuclked at the face he made. Hunter looked like he ate something sour and like he was betrayed by his own mother.

"How dare you!" he exclaimed. "I am not a fool in love."

"No." Phil chimed in. "You're just in love."

"Uncalled for." Hunter said, appaled, as the two laughed at him.

 _DJ~PC~DJ~PC_

When they do really get together, it is both a surprise and not. It feels like a natural thing, kissing Phil.

Their friends didn't see it as new development at any rate.

"What, you weren't together from the moment you two came back?" Mack asked. "You know, after you fixed his car?"

"You know, I thought that was why you wanted the car fixed in the first place." Ruben smirked.

"I told you, it was my fault Lola was in such a bad shape. It had nothing to do with me getting in his pants."

Ruben and Elena laughed at Mack, who spluttered and blushed.

"So, you finally admit it?" Andrew asked Phil, with a pleasant smile.

"Admit what?" Phil asked, perplexed.

"That you two are a couple." Melinda deadpanned.

"That is actually a new development..." Phil said.

Andrew and Melinda raised a doubtful eyebrow at his statement.

Phil groaned.

 _DJ~PC~DJ~PC_

"I'm home!" Daisy called as she entered Phil's appartment.

"Hey." he smiled from the kitchen. "How was your day?"

"Nothing today. You?" she came from behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Same old, same old. 'Accident'." he grinned back at her.

Daisy snorted and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

"This is you saying 'sorry' for me missing you two nights?"

"Oh, no. The 'sorry' comes after dinner." he smirked, turning to kiss her.

"Ooh, Detective Coulson. Is that a promise?"

"Very much so." he smiled, kissing her again.


End file.
